


Echoing Eternal

by NuclearNik



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Light Angst, Post-Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:48:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24729964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NuclearNik/pseuds/NuclearNik
Summary: Draco reminisces on days past and reflects on how lucky he is to have a future.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 2
Kudos: 61





	Echoing Eternal

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Dramione LDWS Round 5 - Gladiolus/Strength of character

It is early summer and Draco is standing in the drawing room of his family home, the echo of past suffering reverberating through him.

The memories are so clear it's as if they are happening now, in real time. With remembrance comes the visceral reminder of the copper tang of blood in the air, the raw screams of a witch he'd been taught to hate ringing in his ears.

In the dining room, though the house is empty and has been for years, the table is full, Voldemort's most trusted sitting in the cherished antique chairs his mother had inherited.

He sees Charity Burbage suspended above the long table, feels his stomach twist like it did that day when he'd had to duck outside to empty its contents behind the rose bushes.

There are happy memories here too. When he looks out the floor to ceiling windows in the ballroom, he sees himself flying just above the ground on his very first broom, his father and mother standing on the sidelines emanating pride and concern, respectively.

In the den, his family is gathered to celebrate Yule, a log burning in the fireplace as Draco sneaks sweets into his pockets for later under his mother's nose, and the scent of evergreen is heavy in his nostrils.

The soft  _ thwap _ of trainers on marble floors interrupts his journey through the past, and he turns to see Hermione emerge from the corridor, a smidge of dust on her cheek and a load of books balanced precariously in her arms.

The sight of her—whole and at peace—grounds him and brings him back to the now, the pain of all the mistakes he's made receding to a dull throb.

"Found some you like?"

He'd given her dominion over the manor's library as they'd been packing things up, preparing to sell.

No longer did he want the spectres of their past haunting them; it was time to make their own home, their own family. 

It strikes him then, how lucky he is to have been given a second chance. A chance to be on the receiving end of a love so powerful it stole his breath sometimes.

Hermione Granger had swept into his life and given him a reason to keep going, to grow and learn and change. 

He is nothing without her.

Her cheeks are pink and the frizzy ends of her hair are swaying with her enthusiasm as she gushes over special editions and tomes she's only ever seen in history books.

All day, he could stand here and listen to her speak about the things that make her eyes light up, but twilight is coming fast, and he doesn't want to be on the property when that happens. Too many ghosts, real or otherwise.

Bending down, he picks up the box of things he wanted to keep with one arm and wraps the other around her, pulling her into his side as they walk through the foyer and finally go  _ home. _


End file.
